With recent advances in digital transmission technology, cable television systems are now capable of providing much more than the traditional analog broadcast video. In implementing enhanced programming, the home communication terminal (“HCT”), otherwise known as the settop box, has become an important computing device for accessing media services and navigating a user through a maze of available services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, digital HCTs (or “DHCTs”) now also support an increasing number of two-way digital services such as video-on-demand.
Typically, a DHCT is connected to a cable or satellite television network and includes hardware and software necessary to provide the functionality of the digital television system at the client's site. Preferably, some of the software executed by a DHCT is downloaded and/or updated via the cable television network. Each DHCT also typically includes a processor, communication components and memory, and is connected to a television or other display device, such as a personal computer. While many conventional DHCTs are stand-alone devices that are externally connected to a television, a DHCT and/or its functionality may be integrated into a television or personal computer, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art.
As more and more services and applications are provided, cable television systems are providing media information to the DHCT so that the user can view the media information on the DHCT display such as the television. This media information has traditionally been organized for presentation purposes into a media guide format that presents the media information by time and channel only. The media guide can, for instance, automatically scroll the available television channels to present the media information such as name and title, by time.
Many cable system operators include one or more dedicated channels that scroll through the channel list displaying the programs that not only are currently on, but also are scheduled to be on in the future. These types of passive displays do not rely on a terminal for presentation of the programming data and also lack the interactive functionality of permitting a user to scroll to a desired channel for a desired time. For example, the user typically must view the programming information as it scrolls on the display and wait for either the desired channel and/or the desired time to search for the media that may be available for viewing.
With the advent of program guide “browsers” for use in cable television systems, viewers (also referred to as “subscribers” or “users”) can scan television program information by time and channel while watching the tuned channel. In analog systems that offer a limited number of cable television channels, these browsers enable the viewer to easily scan available programs one-by-one in order of channel number. However, many digital systems can provide hundreds of channels as well as thousands of video-on-demand (VOD) movies. In such systems, scanning program information by channel numbers sequentially or by video titles alphabetically can require many keystrokes by the viewer and can consume tremendous amounts of time. Additionally, locating a particular program can be quite tedious if the viewer does not already know the name or number of the channel on which the program will be showing or whether the program is available as a video-on-demand option. As a result, there is a need for an interactive media guide that enables viewers to easily and efficiently locate media information that they are seeking.